Writing an obituary at 11pm the night before the funeral home needs it is one of the most stressful parts of losing someone. You're exhausted, emotional, and staring at a blank page. These 12 templates give you a starting structure — fill in the blanks, add personal details, and you'll have a complete obituary in 30 minutes.
- ☐ Full legal name (including maiden name if applicable)
- ☐ Age at death
- ☐ Date of death
- ☐ Place of death (city and state)
- ☐ Date and place of birth
- ☐ Names of survivors (spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings)
- ☐ Names of those who preceded them in death
- ☐ Education, career, or military service highlights
- ☐ Church membership, hobbies, or passions
- ☐ Funeral/memorial service details (date, time, location)
- ☐ Burial or cremation information
- ☐ Memorial donation preferences (if any)
- ☐ Funeral home handling arrangements
The funeral home will help you format and finalize the obituary. Your job is to provide the raw material — these templates help you organize it.
What a Finished Obituary Looks Like
Before you start filling in blanks, here's a completed obituary so you can see the final product:
Dorothy Mae Henderson (née Carter), 78, of Charleston, West Virginia, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2026, at CAMC Memorial Division, surrounded by her loving family.
Born June 4, 1947, in Beckley, West Virginia, she was the daughter of the late Harold Carter and Evelyn Mae (Thompson) Carter.
Dorothy was a registered nurse at Charleston Area Medical Center for 32 years, where she was known as the nurse who remembered every patient's name — and their children's names too. She retired in 2009 but never stopped taking care of people.
She was a faithful member of First Baptist Church of South Charleston and could be found every Tuesday morning in the church kitchen, making her famous banana pudding for the weekly senior luncheon.
She is survived by her husband of 54 years, Robert "Bobby" Henderson; children, Michael Henderson (Lisa) of Hurricane and Karen Mitchell (David) of Lexington, KY; grandchildren, Tyler, Emma, and Jake; sister, Patricia Morgan of Beckley; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, James Carter.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, March 15, 2026, at First Baptist Church of South Charleston. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 8:00 PM on Friday, March 14, at Snodgrass Funeral Home, South Charleston. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the American Heart Association or First Baptist Church Building Fund.
Snodgrass Funeral Home is honored to serve the Henderson family.
Notice what makes this work: the 32 years at CAMC, the patient names she remembered, the banana pudding every Tuesday. These specific details make Dorothy a real person — not a list of dates and survivors. Your obituary should do the same.
Tips: The strongest mother obituaries include one specific detail that could only describe HER — not generic praise. "She made the world's best biscuits and refused to share the recipe" says more than "she was a loving mother." If she had a catchphrase, include it.
How to Finalize and Submit Your Obituary
- 1. Fill in the template with your loved one's information.
- 2. Add 1-2 personal sentences that make it uniquely theirs — a catchphrase, a habit, a memory.
- 3. Read it aloud. Does it sound like THEM? If it sounds generic, add more specific details.
- 4. Have another family member review it. They may catch missing survivors, incorrect dates, or want to add something.
- 5. Send it to the funeral home. They'll format it for the newspaper and their website. Most funeral homes include online obituary posting at no charge.
- 6. Newspaper placement costs extra. Newspapers charge by the word or by the line — typically $100-$500. The funeral home can handle submission. Ask for the cost before approving.
Full obituary writing guide with tips →
Writing an Obituary Means You're Planning a Funeral
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